The BLT Episode 28:Grub's up, Dog's Down and Italian's Across

Give us the week’s offbeat news stories, and we’ll sum them up in an image, bringing them into the same universe.

This time, the exercise amounted to an angry Italian man and a cow having a questionable roadside dinner.

What’s bugging him?

Do you have some news that’s perfect for the BLT that we’ve missed? Tell us, and find out more about how we work by getting in contact today!

Grub’s Up

The EU has recently been approving new types of insect flour.

But Italy is refusing to get on board and has banned flour containing dried crickets, locusts, and insect larvae from ending up in their traditional pizzas and pasta.

The Italians also ruled that if these products must make their way to supermarket shelves, they should be labelled clearly and stored on separate shelves from classic flour.

Polygonal Progress

A revelation from the week was the discovery of the first-ever true “Einstein.” Not another crazy-haired physics genius, but a 13-sided polygon.

It was found after a decade of obsessive intrigue and failed attempts by David Smith, a shape hobbyist from East Yorkshire. The hatlike shape is unique because it can be tiled to cover an infinite plane but with a pattern that can’t repeat.

Interestingly, in this case, “Einstein” is meant literally as “one stone” to refer to a single tile and has nothing to do with the famous physicist.

What IS That Noise?

A buzzing bee, a slurping suitor, or a clicking pen; do some noises make you want to rip your ears out? You aren’t alone. And the phenomenon has a name. The University of Oxford study has shared that a fifth of the UK suffers from “misophonia,” also referred to as ‘sound rage.’

Dr. Jane Gregory, the psychologist who authored the study, is a long-time sufferer herself: “The noises one former housemate makes when chomping popcorn mean I have declined their invitations to the cinema for nearly 20 years.”

Herd the Good News?

A calf born on the Bellbrook Holsteins farm in Ripplebrook, Australia, was born with a one-of-a-kind marking: Three spots on his side form the shape of a smiley face.

As a result, he’s been named Happy, and he can thank this genetic serendipity for saving his life. No longer on track to become a hamburger, Happy will be spared the abattoir and spread happiness instead.

Snailed It

Cha Sa-soon from Jeonju, South Korea, reached a milestone: Passing her driving test.

Losing those L-plates is a feat worthy of celebration for anyone. But in her case, especially so. Her journey there was exceptionally long. The journey began in April 2005. Since then, the 69-year-old took a grand total of 950 goes at her written test and ten goes at her practical before finally passing. At one point, she was taking the test five days a week for three years.

Ruff Day

After 31 years as the top dog, the Labrador retriever has been ousted.

A new dog has stolen the crown for America’s most popular dog: The French Bulldog.

Despite the difficulties that come with the breed’s flat-face, it’s growing in popularity due to its playful and steady temperament.

A Bite of History

Visitors at the Nemo science museum in the Netherlands feasted their eyes on the first-ever woolly mammoth meatball. The football-sized meatball was made using DNA from the extinct species.

Vow, the Aussie firm behind the creation, has previously made alpaca, buffalo, and kangaroo lab-grown meats. They moved onto the mammoth in a symbolic move to represent diversity loss.

No one was willing to taste-test it, not even the scientists involved. After you!

We’re always amazed at how many links form between the random selection of stories brought to the meeting each week! Which story is your favourite? See you next week for another delicious visual sandwich.

We love using visual thinking and visual storytelling to create connected and layered whiteboard animations like this. We’re always here to talk to you about how your message could look as a whiteboard animation. Contact us today!